1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sun visors for vehicles and, more particularly, to sun visors having a flexible ear.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to provide a sun visor for the windshield of a vehicle, wherein the sun visor is mounted on a roof panel of the vehicle for movement between a stored position adjacent the vehicle headliner, a first use position adjacent the windshield, and a second use position adjacent a side-door window opening. It is also common to permit a portion of the sun visor body, known as the ear, to bend against the contour of the vehicle headliner, as the sun visor is turned upward to its stored position.
In one known sun visor assembly, a molded plastic or pressed wood core is used to establish a base upon which various components of the sun visor are constructed. Kraft paper or thin cardboard is typically folded over the plastic or pressed wood core, which forms a relatively flat foundation upon which is glued a decorative cover material. The ear of the sun visor is typically formed using matching shaped portions of the foundation.
One technique is to create a fold line in the foundation to allow the ear to flex relative to the remaining foundation. A fold line is typically formed in the foundation by creating one or more perforated lines in the kraft paper or thin cardboard between the ear and the remainder of the foundation. A limitation of this technique is that the ear portions tend to break free from the foundation in use, leaving the ear limply supported by the decorative cover material. Another limitation of this technique is that the edge of the sun visor assembly undesirably exhibits a substantially flat, bifurcated shape that is formed when the relatively flat foundation halves are secured together. This limitation renders the described sun visor unusable in certain automotive applications that require that the contactable edges of the sun visor to have a radius of not less than 3.2 mm for occupant safety.
Another known sun visor assembly uses a molded plastic foundation instead of kraft paper or cardboard. In order to impart flexibility in the ear of the plastic foundation, a hinge is typically disposed between the ear and the remainder of the foundation. A limitation of this technique is that the hinge adds complexity and expense to the manufacture of the sun visor assembly.
A sun visor assembly is provided that includes a foundation having first and second foundation halves and a periphery that defines at least a portion of an edge of the sun visor. The sun visor assembly includes a first ear portion attached to the first foundation half and a second ear portion attached to the second foundation half. The first and second ear portions are secured together during assembly of the sun visor to form an ear that is capable of movement relative to the foundation.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the foundation is folded unto itself to form the first and second foundation halves. One of the foundation halves includes a portion that is fixedly attached to the first ear portion. The other foundation half includes a portion that is slidably attached to the second ear portion. A bead member is secured to the periphery of the foundation and forms a rounded edge whose surface is substantially semi-circular in cross section and faces away from the sun visor. The first and second ear portions each include a bulbous portion whose surfaces cooperate to form a rounded edge. The rounded edge exhibits a substantially semi-circular cross section having a radius substantially similar to that of the rounded edge of the bead member.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the foundation includes two discrete foundation halves that are secured together during assembly of the sun visor. At least a portion of the periphery of each foundation half includes an integrally formed, rounded lip portion. The lip portions cooperate to form a rounded edge portion having a substantially semi-circular cross-section. Similarly, the periphery of the first and second ear portions each includes a rounded lip portion. Upon assembly, the lip portions of the ear cooperate to form a rounded edge having a radius substantially similar to the rounded edge of the foundation.
Among other advantages, the present invention provides a sun visor assembly having a flexible ear and a rounded periphery that meets or exceeds vehicle occupant safety standards of certain automotive manufacturers, unlike the prior art. More particularly, the present invention advantageously provides a sun visor having a substantially flat foundation, a flexible ear and a rounded periphery that meets or exceeds occupant safety standards of automotive manufacturers. Additionally, the present invention advantageously provides a sun visor assembly having a rigid foundation with a flexible ear portion and a rounded periphery that meets or exceeds occupant safety standards of automotive manufacturers.